How K-12 Schools Can Take Action on Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time — and schools have a sizable environmental impact. There are nearly 100,000 public K-12 schools in the United States occupying 2 million acres of land and producing 53,000 tons of food waste. Schools operate one of the largest mass transportation fleets in the country with 480,000 school buses, and they are one of the largest public energy consumers.

We’ll talk with national education leaders — members of an Aspen Institute bipartisan commission that recently released a K12 Climate Action Plan – about how the education sector can be a force toward climate solutions and environmental justice. Join us to talk about how schools and educators can help prepare young people to envision and work toward a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable society.

Host 
Jennifer Cheatham, Faculty Co-Chair, Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship (ELOE), Harvard Graduate School of Education

Welcome 
Bridget Long, Dean and Saris Professor of Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Speakers:

• John King Jr., President and CEO, The Education Trust; former U.S. Secretary of Education
• Pedro Martinez, CEO, Chicago Public Schools
• Becky Pringle, President, National Education Association

Resources:

• K12 Climate Action Plan
• Local K12 Climate Action Plan: Key Questions to Get Started